Though, the existence of paid DMs speaks to a DM shortage, perhaps?I didn't know there was a DM Shortage until I saw this thread.
I should charge more for my services, I guess?
There is also a point to be made about the expectations for a DM, whether there is a "shortage" or not. Does it fall to the DM to: know all the rules, look up PC abilities, help players level up, maintain group campaign notes, buy all the books, create a multi-arc story, weave PC backgrounds into that story, be entertaining, do voices, balance encounters just so, create homebrew rules for things not covered in the dmg, buy 3pp supplements, deal with power imbalances among the PCs. set up the VTT or in person maps/terrain/handouts, select custom music, schedule sessions, make ad-hoc adjustments if/when players no show, and resolve interpersonal disputes?
To be fair, this probably isn't an edition-specific problem, though it does seem sometime that dnd play culture has evolved in this direction ("matt mercer effect" etc)